Читать книгу Suspicion - Ginny Aiken - Страница 11

On Thursday, Steph noticed a significant increase in browser traffic through the store. At first, it irritated her. Then it amused her—after all, how many neighbors were going to miss the chance to check out the notorious blood pressure cuff boxes? On the other hand, she did wonder if they were just curious or if they expected to find a twenty sticking out of another box.

Darcy stopped by while on an errand for Miss Tabitha. “You’re the talk of the town, girl!” She punctuated her words with a bubble-gum pop.

“Tell me about it.”

“Don’t knock it,” Darcy said, chewing away. “Think of the increased cha-ching! Your bank account will love the craziness of it all.”

“Give me normalcy—please.”

With a laugh, Darcy left. The constant flow of looky-loos continued.

Even Chad Adams hung around for an eternity after making his delivery—at least, he hung around long enough to locate the case of insulin syringes they had marked as missing from the delivery. Surprise, surprise! It turned up in his truck. At two o’clock Steph found him still wandering the aisles, a second bag of licorice in hand.

Chad could always use an extra twenty. The postmaster’s younger brother-in-law had a streak of failed ventures under his belt and a list of worthless patents to his name. Mr. Cooper often complained about Chad’s mooching ways.

At a quarter to four, Jimmy came up to the pharmacy counter to complain about the many times in the forty-five minutes since he’d come to work he’d had to mop the entry because of all the muddy footprints. Steph gave in to the inevitable. She laughed.

“Let it go for a while,” she told the teen. “We’re today’s talk of the town. They’re going to keep coming, so you may as well wait until later to clean up the mess. Just be glad it’s no longer raining. The mud will dry up out there soon enough.”

The boy shrugged. “If you say so. I just hope nobody trips and falls checking out those boxes.”

“Tell you what,” she said. “I have a new mat in the back room. Why don’t you bring it out? At least we can offer a dry one to any customer who comes in between now and closing time.”

Jimmy trudged off, muttering something about the waste of a perfectly good mat.

Mat or no mat, Steph kept a close eye on everyone who wandered through the store. It took some work, but she refused to let down her guard. She would do whatever it took to protect the business for which she’d worked so hard. She wasn’t going to let some petty vandal or back-alley mugger damage her professional image. She would not let a criminal intimidate her.

For the first time in the five years since she’d opened the store, Steph felt stressed. It usually didn’t matter how busy she was; what mattered was serving her customers. But with all the gawkers who’d streamed in that day, Steph just wanted the clock’s hands to move a little faster.

And for the town of Loganton to find a new fixation.

On Friday at a quarter to six, after another day of town curiosity, the bell on the door clanged yet again. When Steph glanced up from the prescription she’d been filling, her gaze snagged on Hal Benson’s warm brown eyes. He took his time walking through the store, strolling up and down the aisles, checking out the items on the shelves.

“Need anything you can’t find?” she asked when he reached her counter.

“Just getting acquainted with the areas I don’t frequent. And I wanted to see where you keep your blood pressure cuffs.”

Steph capped the orange pill bottle and stuck the computerized label in place before looking back up. “You do realize the cuff’s only the last item damaged in a rash of six.”

“Tell me about the damaged items. And what the damage looked like.”

“We can start with the box of tissues. The glued flaps on one side of the box had been sliced open—neatly and with some sharp object. A knife, probably. It couldn’t have happened during shipping. It was no accident. On the other hand, the tissues themselves were crumpled and some even torn.”

“What do you mean by crumpled?”

“That was the strangest part. The flaps hung open outward, but the tissues were smashed inward.”

“Pushed in.”

“That’s right.”

“What else?”

Steph caught a glimpse of the clock on the pharmacy wall. “Tell you what, Sheriff—”

“If you’re just Steph, then I’m just Hal.”

She smiled, remembering his shyness the night before. “Okay, Hal. It’s almost six, and I need to close the store. If you’ll give me a few minutes so I can focus on the details, then I’ll tell you everything I remember.”

“That’ll work.”

As Steph picked up her ledger, she noticed the intent expression on the sheriff’s face. “Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking…since you still have work to do here, how about you finish up, and then, maybe…well, if you don’t have anything else going on, maybe we can stop at Granny Annie’s—for a cup of coffee, you know? You can tell me all about the other damaged items then.”

Had he just asked her out on a strange kind of date? Or was the sheriff so shy he couldn’t even ask a woman to discuss evidence over a cup of coffee at Granny Annie’s Diner?

“Sounds great,” she said. “And just the thought of a slice of one of Granny’s pies is enough to spur me through my routine.”

His relief was almost palpable. “Terrific! You don’t mind if I wait here for you, do you? I don’t want you to have to go out into the alley alone. You never know if the mugger might come back.”

Steph shuddered. She hadn’t thought about that. But now that Hal had mentioned the alley, she didn’t like the idea of going outside, in the dark, by herself. “I don’t mind. On the contrary, I appreciate your offer. I won’t be long. I just have to double-check the prescriptions I filled today to keep track of what goes out.”

“You can’t be too careful about that kind of thing.”

“That’s what I think.”

She eased away from the counter, matched the day’s spreadsheet on her computer screen to the list in the ledger, counted the empty pill bottles in their bin, checked that number against yesterday’s count and smiled when the numbers added up. Most pharmacists wouldn’t go through so much trouble, but she always feared a distraction during her busy day might rouse her ADD and lead to a mistake.

With one tug, the grate over the pharmacy-counter window clanged into place, and once she’d locked it, Steph ducked down to pick up the deposit pouch from under her desk. Moments later, it bulged with the cash, checks and credit slips she cleared from the register tray. Her evening routine had become so automatic to her that she sometimes had to stop herself and think through all the steps to make sure she’d done everything before she walked away.

Sweater and purse in hand, she locked up. “I’m done.”

And there he was, standing in the small hallway that led to the back door. Once again, it struck Steph how tall he was. Lean and lanky, Hal Benson had to stand at least six foot three inches tall. And he looked hewn from taut, ropy muscle, too. There was something very comforting about his size and quiet, serious demeanor. It didn’t hurt that Hal’s craggy features reminded her of the heroes in the classic Western movies she’d watched growing up.

When he took her elbow to guide her out the door, Steph felt safe and protected. “Thanks.”

“What for?”

“For realizing I’d be scared well before it occurred to me.”

As she opened the back door, he reached over her head to hold it open for her. “I suspect you would have been fine. Don’t forget. The mugger didn’t try to get inside last night. But since things seem quiet around the county tonight, and I do want to know what you remember about the other incidents of vandalism…” He shrugged.

The sheriff waited until she’d started her car before he headed toward his cruiser. The drive to Granny Annie’s didn’t take long, for which Steph was thankful, since she didn’t want to analyze her feelings about their maybe date, maybe interrogation outing to Loganton’s gossip hub. By tomorrow morning, everyone in town would know she’d had coffee with the single and attractive county sheriff.

Half would insist they were Loganton’s latest version of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming, the other half that she was headed for jail.

Steph pulled into the parking lot behind the diner. She threw on her sweater, since the weather had grown considerably chillier when the sun began to slide down to the horizon, and then hurried toward the diner’s door.

Halfway there, a sound startled her. She stopped, listened, eyes flicking from corner to corner, to her car, the street out front, the back door of the diner. She saw no one anywhere near. Her stomach muscles tightened. Had those been footsteps she’d heard? Had Hal arrived?

Even though she strained to hear, she only managed to pick up the hiss of the fall breeze through the trees on Main Street. And the galloping beat of her heart. For a moment, she felt discouraged. Nervousness had never been a problem, and Steph resented what the mugger had done to her. The thought of spending the rest of her life with an ear cocked to potential and possibly imagined danger held no appeal. She wanted her peaceful life back. That peace was one of the reasons she’d come home to Loganton after earning her pharmacy license.

She took a step toward the diner, hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should she go in and get a booth, or should she wait for Hal? If she waited, aside from freezing, would she also make herself bait for the mugger? Had there been someone out here following her? Or had her mind started to play tricks on her?

A car turned the corner. Relief flooded her when she caught sight of the county seal on the driver door: the sheriff’s cruiser. Steph exhaled as she ran up the diner’s front steps.

Inside the fragrant eatery, she went straight for the last empty booth, smiling a greeting to everyone who called out a hello. A glance out the window as she slid all the way in on the slick vinyl showed Hal striding toward the diner, that confident pace of his eating up the distance. More greetings rang out when he walked in.

“Can you believe this weather? First a monsoon, and now it’s fit to freeze off your cat’s whiskers,” Granny Annie called out from behind the counter. “Karla, girl! Get Miss Steph and the sheriff some hot coffee. We gotta warm ’em up quick. It’s cold and getting colder out there tonight.”

The sassy senior ducked out of sight then popped back up. She stared out the front windows and shook her head. “Can you believe it’s only six thirty?” she asked. “It’s getting dark so early…it looks more like nine or ten o’clock.”

Hal tapped his uniform hat against the side of the table to dislodge the drops beaded on its surface. He darted a glance at Steph. “My stomach’s very accurate clock says it’s just about supper time. Want to join me? For more than just coffee, I mean.”

The scent of roasted meat, stewed tomatoes and something cinnamony for dessert proved a temptation Steph didn’t bother to resist. Moments later, when Karla skidded a pair of stoneware mugs full of steaming java across their table, she asked the young waitress, “What does Granny have tonight?”

Karla cocked a hip and pulled the pencil out from its perch behind her ear. “She’s got meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered corn and biscuits, and the other choice is chicken-fried steak with cream gravy, hash brown casserole, stewed tomatoes and corn bread.”

Steph’s mouth watered. “Bring me the steak, please.”

“I’ll have the meat loaf,” Hal said.

“And a side of cholesterol meds in our future,” Steph added with a grin when Karla had sauntered off. “But every once in a while, you just have to go for the comfort food. Tonight’s the perfect night for it.”

The sheriff’s warm gaze paused on her face. “After what you went through the past two days, I’m not surprised you’re looking for comfort.”

Steph studied the foil lid on the tiny container of cream. “I’ll admit it’s rattled me. I went right to bed after you left last night.”

The sheriff frowned as he whipped a notepad and pen from his uniform pocket. “Let’s get to work then. I want this guy off my streets.”

Hal listened as Steph described the damaged goods. Every so often, he wrote down a detail, his attention on her every word. She described the tissue box again, the box of disposable diapers, the boxed twelve-pack of nutritional supplement shakes, the vaporizer box and the box of cotton balls.

“As far as I can tell,” she said when she couldn’t think of anything else, “the only thing those items have in common is that they all came packed in cardboard boxes and were carefully cut.”

The sheriff took a swig of his black coffee. “I noticed that. Now I just have to figure out how all those boxes relate to each other.”

Karla arrived with a heavy tray with two platter-size plates just as overloaded. The mountain of hash browns laced with cheddar and sour cream on Steph’s dish gave off tendrils of steam. Creamy gravy dotted with pepper flakes dressed the battered and deep-fried steak. The side bowl of tangy stewed tomatoes had Steph reaching for her napkin then spreading it over her lap.

She laced her hands over the napkin, prayed silently and was pleased to hear Hal say, “Amen.”

They looked up and their gazes held. He smiled. “Don’t let it get cold. Granny’s meals are best when they’re hot.”

“Hey, Sheriff!” Granny Annie called. “It’s about time you didn’t come eat your supper alone. Make a habit of it, you hear?”

With her fork a mere inch from her mouth, Steph stole a glance at her dining companion. Just like last night and earlier today in the store, a hint of a blush reddened his cheeks. For some reason, that small detail endeared the serious sheriff to her.

“One of these days,” he muttered, “she’ll learn the meaning of tact.”

Steph chuckled. “Don’t count on it. She’s been embarrassing folks in Loganton for a generation or two.”

His sheepish grin only made her laugh again. It was the first time she’d laughed since the senior citizens had left Scott’s the day before. It felt great.

Hal leaned closer. “Let’s eat before she comes out here and pulls our ears,” he said in a loud stage whisper.

Twenty minutes later, Steph put down the dessert spoon as she savored the last mouthful of peach cobbler. She leaned back, stuffed but satisfied. “I just remembered why I don’t eat like this too often.”

“Unfortunately, I do. One of these days, I’m going to get around to cracking open the covers of that cookbook I bought last summer after I moved into the house. I have to learn to cook. I’ll miss Granny Annie’s meals, but my health sure won’t—”

The crackle of a walkie-talkie cut off his words. “Sheriff Hal?” a woman’s soprano asked.

Hal brought the black device up to his mouth. “What’s up?”

“I know you’re on a break, and you’re probably having dinner, but we just got a DUI out on the old River Run Road. Sounds pretty bad. Will called in and asked for backup.”

“Got it. I’m on my way.”

“10-4, Sheriff. And thanks.”

Hal slid out of the booth, then reached for his wallet. “I’m sorry. Duty calls. Please stay and enjoy another cup of Granny’s coffee on me.”

She shook her head and followed him, unwilling to linger without him. Before Steph’s fingers unzipped her purse, Hal had dropped a couple of bills on the counter by the register. “Keep the change, Karla. Put it toward college.”

The teen grinned, rang them up and handed Hal a receipt.

“Thanks,” Steph said as they reached the door. So it had been part date, part interrogation, as she’d thought. “Don’t apologize. I understand. Besides, I didn’t sleep well last night. I hope to do better tonight.”

He opened the door. “Keep your cell phone close.”

Steph pulled her sweater tight across her chest. “I kept it under my pillow last night, and I plan to do the same until…well, you understand.”

As she splashed to her car, she thanked the Lord for Hal’s company and his heavy steps behind her. This time, Steph didn’t have to wonder. She wasn’t alone, and she knew as long as Hal was around he’d keep her safe.

At home, she knew she could count on the Lord.

On Saturday morning, when the rain and the damp chill were only memories, Steph sang along to a Mercy Me CD in the car’s stereo on her way to work. She parked at her normal spot in the parking lot across the alley then opened up the store. Jimmy was waiting at the front door.

“’Morning, Miss Steph. No more mopping, huh?”

“Not today,” she called over her shoulder on her way to open the pharmacy itself. “As long as you sweep in front of the door, we’ll be fine.”

Then she reached the white-painted steel door. The open white pharmacy door. Steph stared in disbelief.

She remembered locking up the night before. That’s when she’d turned and nearly bumped into Hal. She had closed and locked that door.

Hadn’t she?

A chill ran through her. A vise of tension wound itself around her head. Her heart beat louder, and her breath came in short spurts. Nausea seared up her chest and into her throat.

“Easy,” she murmured. No reason to freak out. Not yet.

Careful not to let her fingers touch anything, Steph kneed the door ajar. She slipped inside and headed for the cabinet where she kept the narcotics behind yet another lock. But before she got there, she caught sight of the empty shelf against the back wall.

The pseudoephedrine was gone. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. The thief was making meth.

Steph reached for her cell phone and dialed 911.